The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-10-13
INTERESTING TO FARMERS.
Capt. d. K. Norris on the Necessity of
Diversified Crops.

INTERESTING TO FARMERS.
Capt. d. Z. Norris on the Necessity OF
Diversified Crops.
The following interesting and valuable
paper was read at the recent Farmers
Encampment at Spartanburg:
I appear here, Mr. President, in re-
sponse to the call that has been made
upon me to discuss with you the necessity
of diversified agriculture.
take it to be reasonable duty on
the part of every citizen to contribute Of
his opportunities to the public good, and
il, by my appearance here, I may say Or
do something that will in the least help
my brother shall feel gratifed, aud at
the same time conscious of only doing
my duty.
Indeed, it affords me peculiar pleasure
to affiliate with those in whose bosoms
the same aspirations are felt; in whose
work the same impulses arp quickened,
and whose proclivities areanurtured by
the same desires.
take no notice of the fact that one
similar occasion we were denied the
pleasure of your presence among us, but
shall strive in the future as in the past,
without soreness orjealousy, to discharge
the duties which fall to my lot according
to my ability.
Iappreciate the difficulty of satisfacto'
rily discussing this subject. There are
SO many factors that enter into its con"
sideration, such as exceptional marketing
facilities, variations IF soil and climate.
the topography of tn farm indicated, the
pro6tsbleness or unproftableness OF Ger.
tain crops, with the present necessities Of
the farm. as we'll as the inherent taste OF
bias of the individual; that it is not
possible to lay down any certain rules,
or procedures, OF practices.
They must necessarily differ in the sands
of the low-country, the clays Of the mid
die country and the loans Of the up
country. Yet, upon the successful
practice by our people Of an intelligent
diversifcation of crops hangs our individ-
ual and collective prosperity.
Figures never taught greater lie than
when by their use it is made apparent
that we can buy our provisions cheaper
than we can raise them, and in many
Instances our horses, mules, and other
daily necessaries.
With comprehensive diversified agri.
cultural system We are in position to
successfully meet the great obstacles that
lie in the way Of our prosperity.
It can be shown that in Egypt for ages
the same crops have been annually grown
on the same soil, but the revivifying
inundations of the Nile are 4ere potent; ;
in Italy and the tide.water lands of our
own State constant succession of grass
and grain in the former case and of rice
in,the lattea;5 pro6tably practiced, but it
is owing to the fertilizing influences of
irrigation, and in some of the level lands
planted in cotton in this State continu.
ed succession of the same crop is not
only admissible, but perhaps prudent.
These and similar exceptions do not at
all lessen the necessity of change of crops
on our lands, generally, as a means Of
soil preservation. The sterility of our
soil is the prime cause of our poverty,
and without question nothing in our
practice SO certainly and rapidly brings
on this impoverishmeut as successive
clean crops under our burning suns on
undulating lands.
When We grow grass and grain, as
well as corn and cotton, our lands are
not only made to produce renumerative
returns in money, but these diversified
crops will of themselves improve their
fertility, and when manure is applied to
each of these crops and cultivation is
iudicious, the ratio of improvement is
surprising.
Again general practice of diversified
tion would not result in an overwhelming
crop of any one kind, gluttiug the mar
ket, but would tend to keep down
disastrous fluctuations in prices. Consid.
er also the advantage Of varied culture
as proven by experience--for instance, a
prime hand will cultivate eight acres in
cotton and four in corn more easily than
he can ten in cotton, and the same labor
will cultivate six acres in cotton, six in
corn, and four in small grain, thereby
greatly economizing that expensive item,
labor.
We know too we'll, from bitter expert.
ence, how unfortunate it is to place our
dependence upon any one crop; too much
or too little rain, rust, worms, low prices
or other unpropitious circumstance
leaves us at the end of the year dissatis6-
ed, disheartened, ruined. Whilst q Judi
cious diversifcation, which is the true
basis of all healthful and permanently
prosperous farming, would have likely
met the seasons and resulted in compar-
ative success.
The fault, dear Brutns, is not in our
stars, but in ourselves, that we fail.
Other advantages might be adduced to
show the supreme importance of d.
versi6ed agricultural practice generally,
but I hasten to consider the subject as
applicable to individual farmers. The
true definition of the subject here is quite
different from that in the former case.
No one man would undertake to grow
cotton and jute, wheat and grapes cats
and tobacco, barley and silk, rye and
wool, rice and pork, corn and grass, sor-